Peace
by Yumiko Shima
Summary: LxLight. Light discovered the real meaning behind peace that Valentine's Day.


Light blinked in confusion as L gave the chain a sharp tug

**Peace**

**Summary: LightxL. Peace isn't really what everyone thinks, Light discovered that Valentine's Day. Re-up.**

**Disclaimer: I own the story, but not Death Note.**

**A/N: This is ****xoxoxlovestinksxoxox****, re-uploading my yaoi stories onto this account with some minor edits. I didn't really feel like editing this one, even though I know there are a lot of things I could work on. They'd almost make me re-write it. XD**

**And it was tied with a lot of other stories for fifth in the contest over on deviantART. You know, that's pretty good, considering the number of entries. But my favorite story didn't place. I was a little depressed; I loved that one. XD**

**--**

Light blinked in confusion as Ryuzaki gave the chain a sharp tug. When he didn't respond, the detective gripped it firmly in the center, jerking it as well as Light toward him.

"Ow…?" The teenager rubbed his abused wrist and glared at the older man, but he couldn't stop his brow from rising curiously.

L didn't speak, but instead opted for dragging the younger man along by his wrist. By the time the pair came to a halt, Light was doing everything but licking the raw skin beneath the silver cuff to ease to soreness.

L stared at something, which, Light found upon inspection, was a panel of darkened glass. The only thing remotely exotic about its texture was the slightly darker patch of the shade near the middle. The boy couldn't resist touching it to see if its surface was as smooth as the gloss implied. To his slight disappointment, it was only as smooth as the skin on the back of his free hand.

"What is this, Ryuzaki?"

"Yagami-kun…" The rhythm of his words was marked by a church bell somewhere far away, although the sound was crystal clear. "This is the window to your soul."

Light gazed at the glass for another second before it dawned on him, and the realization could only make him stare in horror. His body refused to move beyond tilting his head to watch the mysterious detective. "R-Ryuzaki…" Light did a double take. "It's all black."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as the darker patch Light had noticed earlier slid slowly to the left, the sluggish motions resembling a storm cloud. The pattern revealed on the glass made Light cringe.

The red half circles looked to be painted in blood, yet they still had the shimmering quality of the finest glaze. The crimson looked like it was forming gaping wounds in the glass, and Light suddenly felt very sick when the "paint" started to run.

"Ryuzaki… Make it stop." Light fell to his knees as if released from the spell. "Please…" Putting as much desperation as possible into his gaze, the teen stared pleadingly at the detective.

L looked at his feet for a second, gnawing guiltily at a thumbnail. After hesitating, he wandered over slowly to place his shackled hand upon Light's shoulder.

The motion made the colors dancing within the surface of the glass change dramatically. It started as a simple splatter of what seemed to be white paint drops cutting the image diagonally; a mere second later, they were bleeding into blue, green, and purple. The red had been sealed away entirely, and the black had melted mostly away as well, only leaving a few swirls across the bottom.

Light suddenly what would happen if…

His unspoken question was answered when L gently took his chin in one palm, inching closer and closer…

The alarm could not have picked a more convenient time to shatter Light's dream. He rolled over, swiping at his bleary eyes. His heart and stomach seemed to battle, and the chaos of his mind tempted him to just curl up and die anyway.

--

The task force arrived, and the Kira investigation continued, ignoring the holiday completely. Light couldn't resist smiling a little at the irony when they left, and Matsuda called out a cheerful wish for the remaining two men to have a happy Valentine's Day.

Light acted the part and joined in the holiday fun (or lack thereof, really) all day, but within his own mind, disarray held him back. Normally, he'd never let a dream worry him like that, but it had just felt so real, and so…

"Light-kun, I have something for you."

L's voice successfully turned him away from his grim thoughts. "…Ryuzaki? You shouldn't have gotten me anything. I don't feel right." He pointed to the handcuffs as an explanation for his inability to offer the detective any chocolates.

"It is only a card, I am afraid." L passed the envelope to him, unable to meet his gaze.

"Honestly, Ryuzaki, you didn't have to get me anything." Light slipped his thumbnail along the flap on the envelope, separating the glue from the paper anyway. The least he could do was accept the gift and thank L for the distraction.

Upon sliding it out, the memory-less mass-murderer gaped in shock and horror.

The cover of the Valentine's card was black with crescents of red, like his own soul in the nightmare he'd awoken from in a cold sweat.

"Lick it."

"WHAT?" Light's gaze snapped away from the terrifying and downright insulting paper in his hand to the detective.

"The card. What did Yagami-kun think I meant?" L stared at his knuckles and bit down on his thumbnail.

"I-I…"

"Lick it."

Light blushed and hesitantly craned his neck toward the glossy paper. Slowly, his tongue flicked across it.

The design changed color. At first, a white trail formed where he had licked, then it bled into blue, green, and purple. Light chuckled. It wasn't the hysterical (and slightly maniacal) laugh that threatened to escape, though.

He looked at L and waited, hoped, _dreamed_ for the end of his nightmare to come true. Heck, the rest had practically happened…

After about a minute, the detective waved one hand impatiently at Light. "Will you stop staring and open the card, Yagami-kun?"

"Oh!" Light blushed again, haphazardly flicking it open and getting a minor paper cut in the process.

_Initial: L_

_Light-kun,_

_One thing I know about you is your enjoyment of any opportunity to prove yourself._

_Voluble is one of the words I would use to describe you, to be honest._

_Even if I give you a difficult time about Kira, you truly are the most interesting person I've met._

_You are, although intelligent, quite dense._

_On time, you will question multiple things about this letter._

_Under your current circumstance, it is to be expected._

Oh, L thought he knew him so well, was that it? Light bit his tongue to refrain from a comment about how L's name was supposed to go last rather than before his own. Was this implying that L really was his initial, though? And what was the last line supposed to mean?

Oh.

He scanned the lines vertically again, double checking each letter.

_Oh._

Light opened his mouth, and then slowly shut it. There was a huge problem standing in the way of any comments. He'd forgotten how to talk in coherent sentences.

L walked closer and stood beside the teen, staring at the card over his shoulder and rereading it. A look of disappointment at the lack of reaction slipped momentarily across his face before being locked away with other emotions he'd rather not show.

Light firmly clamped his mouth shut. No more gaping, he told himself, turning to face his best friend and rival. "Ryuzaki." His voice sounded strange to his own ears. The light-haired boy cleared his throat and tried again. "I appreciate the card. It was very thoughtful."

_Despite your bad choice on the design for the front, it was a nice gesture_, he thought.

"Thank you, Yagami-kun." L walked back over to his desk, sitting down and easily hiding his disappointment with his long bangs.

"I will start to work right away on the hidden code." His brow furrowed in mock concentration, but another part of the teen was yelling furiously at him for denying that he'd gotten the message. _Kiss him already!_

Meanwhile, a spark of hope brightened L's face. He spun around in the chair. "Alright, Yagami-kun, but I must warn you that it is far easier to decipher than you are sure to make it."

_Kiss him!_

Light crossed the room and placed his hands on the detective's shoulders, leaning down to look at him directly. "Ryuzaki, what color is my soul?"

"According to a Japanese proverb, the eyes are the windows to the soul. Your soul is brown."

"Not black?"

"No, if anything, mine is–"

Light did exactly what he'd wanted to do the last time he'd held the detective by the shoulders like that and asked him a question about the look in his eye.

_Kiss him._

Light did just that.

L slowly made his way to his feet and wrapped his arms around Light's waist. He pulled him closer, but did not deepen the kiss.

Light was content with just this. For the first time all day, he felt inner peace. Whoever thought that his rival would be the one to give it to him?

"Happy Valentine's Day," L muttered almost teasingly in Light's ear.

"Thank you," he replied sincerely. Light decided to refrain from telling L about the nightmare. It would probably reinforce his ridiculous Kira theories. However, when he leaned in for another gentle brush of the lips; he really meant, "Thank you for giving me, _being my_, peace within the storm."

--

**A/N: Constructive criticism is what we aim for. -shot-**


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